


No Face and Fireflies

by wannabeyourbaby



Category: wannaone
Genre: Fluff, High School, Hotarubi no Mori e AU, Light Angst, M/M, studio ghibli reference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 16:39:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15667110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wannabeyourbaby/pseuds/wannabeyourbaby
Summary: It's summer festival for the spirit world when human Seongwu discovers the face behind the mask.





	No Face and Fireflies

Seongwu grunted as he lowered the boxes of fireworks on the ground. He alone walked nearly a kilometer with three stacks of sulfur, who are they calling a scaredy cat? Just because he didn't participate in their annoying game, yeah.  
He made it safely to the clearing in the forest that was a bit out of the way from where the rest of his classmates were doing the 'test of courage' also known as 'the summertime excuse to be alone with my crush'. Seongwu scoffed. He's never met anyone who he wanted to spend time with in the darkness, so he didn't find the game appealing at all. In that moment, he heard the echo of a person fake growling (an attempt to scare away the challengers) followed by two people giggling and it just made him that more sure of his willingness (or the lack thereof) to join the game. He looked around him as soon as he arranged the boxes side by side. He only needed to wait for the text from the class president to light them up. For now, his task was to wait. He took off one slipper and sat on it since the ground was a bit damp.

There was no way he would find the forest like this scary. He didn't need any test of courage to prove it. He inhaled the smell of fogged grass and he reveled in the serenity of the moment. He looked at the clear sky sparkling with stars that were usually invisible in Seoul and hummed a tune under his breath, almost afraid to ruin the placidity. He tried to clear his mind, drowning his full attention to the stars above and the full moon that illuminated everything in the clear air of Goesan. There's nowhere he'd rather be.

He just reached the last verse when little orbs of green and yellow lights glimmered in the distance. He blinked several times to make sure it isn't just some trick of the light. When the sparkles multiplied, he was sure of it. 

Fireflies. 

He checked his phone. He was still on naver maps and his battery is just halfway drained. He lowered the screen's brightness. Still no message. Maybe he could afford a little detour. 

Toeing his slipper back on, he grabbed one tube from the box of coloured fountain rockets and placed it in his back pocket. 

He jogged as silently as he could to the cluster of fluttering light. He was worried he'll startle the fireflies as he approached that he began crouching, nearly crawling that he's almost as small as the bushes, when he heard the unmistakable sound of a stream nearby. 

Seongwu looked back and checked his distance from the location of the fireworks. Not that far. He checked his phone again. Zero notification although the signal is in full bars.

He decided to follow the undisturbed glowers until the sound of water flowing filled his ears. His heart pounded in excitement at the possible discovery of another beautiful scenery. He kept crawling. The sound of the water gently lapping increased his pace. Until he finally reached the edge of the grass paving for the river bank.

He was not disappointed.

He stood from the crouching position to see a small lake surrounding a solitary tree whose leaves were illuminated they were almost golden. Millions of fireflies flutter around it, casting a splendid reflection on the water. He held his hand out and saw the light dancing on his fingertips. He suddenly longed to encapsulate the picture and brand it in his memory. He took out his phone and snapped a photo. What he saw onscreen gave zero justice to the reality:

The glimmer of the water tinged by the moonbeam sprinkled by thousands of glowing firelights with the backdrop of the galaxy. And in the centre of it all, towers a tree.

Seongwu felt a tear roll down his cheek. He couldn't explain the emotions he felt then. He felt unworthy, small, and powerless against such beauty. The golden light burnt him and took his everything away. He was left smoldering amidst the brilliance of the everglow. And then it hit him. 

Loneliness. He was suddenly filled with longing to share this with someone. But he knew no one. He has no one. He had no one worthy of all this. And another tear followed the track of the fallen. He understands. He was just like the tree. 

The wind blew and stirred his hair. The breeze was so gentle it almost felt like a caress on his face. It dried his eyes and planted something warm in his heart. He stepped forward. The soles of his rubber slip-ons quickly caked with mud as he trudged on. When his feet finally reached the cold water, he was snapped to attention.

What was he doing?

At the exact same time he heard the question verbalized in the softest of tones.

"What are you doing?" The musical voice asked tenderly from behind him.

Seongwu whipped his head. All he saw was a floating white oval mask, painted with a very familiar pattern around the eyes. 

"No Face?!" Seongwu exclaimed. He was a huge fan of Hayao Miyazaki after all.

Seongwu's mind came up with a thousand possibilities, like if this was a part of the courage test, or if he's being pranked, or if this was all a dream. So he turned and looked at the glowing tree, then whipped his head back to face the mask, then back again to the tree. He went back and forth like that for a while until the being behind the mask gave a musical chuckle.

Seongwu finally decided to slap his own cheek. 

Ouch. So yeah, not a dream. He saw the fireflies scrambling away from him at the action.

The mask was shaking as the wearer kept laughing in syllables that sounded so forced. Who even laughs in literal HA HA HA?

But Seongwu was fascinated. He stepped away from the water and closer to the visitor with the mask.

It wasn't really floating. The closer Seongwu got, the more he can see of the black cloak that slowly materialized into something solid until he could make out well built shoulders beneath the fabric. Seongwu was now standing on the grass-covered ground and his own face is almost level with the mask.

"Why do you hit your face?" Asked the one behind the mask.

"Who are you?" Seongwu asked.

"Why do you hit your face?" The mask asked in return.

Seongwu sighed and stepped around the masked figure to get a 360 degree view of the mysterious character. All he could see was the pale skin on the back of his neck beneath dark hair just a bit longer than Seongwu's own.

"What's under the mask?" Seongwu asked again.

"Why do you hit your face?" The mask repeated with the same tone, clearly up for playing this game all night.

"I didn't." Seongwu lied as he finished his circle, one again facing the mask. 

"You did. Why do you hit your face?" The mask tilted to one side in curiosity. 

"I did it to feel the pain," Seongwu answered distastefully, hearing it out loud sounded so dumb, "Your turn. What's behind the mask?"

"Come and see." No Face offered Seongwu a twig. It was a simple white branch cut off from an unsuspecting shrub nearby. Seongwu observed the fingers that held one end of the twig. The skin was pale and the fingers a little stubby, but overall seemed like a usual male hand.

Seongwu have half the mind to refuse but checking his phone to see no new notification, he gave up and accepted the other end of the twig. He held on as the cloaked mask floated in front of him, leading him towards the left side of the lake, along the riverbank. The distance between them growing smaller as Seongwu quickened his pace.

"Where are we going?" Seongwu asked after a while. The mask shook his head as if to tell Seongwu to be patient. 

The masked figure then pointed at the water when they were all the way to the left side of the islet where the huge tree was rooted. Seongwu could make a few stone slabs neatly aligned in the water, a floating path that led to the piece of land in the middle of the lake. They walked near the water until it wasn't far, the huge tree stood a dozen hops away, surrounded by crowds of people beneath colourful lights and Seongwu could make out excited murmurs as a festival of some sort goes down in full swing on the other side of the water.

He stopped right before the water when his phone buzzed. The mask who was hovering over the first stone slab turned to face him. Seongwu held out his phone. He looked at the notification from their class president. He could see the series of firework emojis without having to open the entire message. He had one job: to light the firework up. The mask titled his head again, as if to ask what was wrong, and Seongwu shook his head in response as the mask tugged on the twig in his other hand to goad him to come on.

Seongwu typed a quick reply with a sorry and a dump emoticon. Let the kids make fun of him, for now, he's all set to have fun. 

Seongwu had always been a clumsy child. He even tripped on solid concrete ground sometimes. So no one can really blame him when his muddy slippers (curse that name) slid off the smooth stones and made him slip into the water on his first hop.

He heard the rhythmic ha ha ha from the mask when Seongwu's butt hit the mossy bottom of the lake. The water came up to his chest as he sat there, surprised. The lake was actually very shallow, when he stood up, the surface of the water barely reached his thighs. He chuckled along with the mask. Their laughter joining the jovial noise coming from the festival-goers a few feet away. The mask offered the twig again as he helped Seongwu back up the stone path. Seongwu shivered as the cold breeze hit him the moment the mask left and moved away onto another slab. Seongwu only then realized that he was all wet from the chest down. 

Hearing Seongwu's teeth clattering, the mask let go of the twig. What No Face did next left Seongwu speechless. 

He removed his mask. 

Seongwu's eyes grew as huge as saucers and his jaw dropped when he saw the face behind the mask.

Who would've thought.

Pale skin. Foxy eyes. High nosebridge. Gentle smile. 

No Face was actually devastatingly jaw-droppingly handsome. 

For the second time that night, Seongwu slapped his own face.

Soengwu blinked and snapped his mouth shut when the gentle smile of the handsome stranger turned into a full blown laughter that was so familiar and so strange at the same time. 

Ha ha ha. 

The foxy eyes turned into crescents and with the lights behind that face breaking in mirth, Seongwu was enraptured. 

He's never seen anything as perfect.

Seongwu suddenly felt a warm sensation settling in the depths of his heart, something glowing tickling the place beneath his skin. He's never felt anything like it before. 

The surprise never ends when the handsome stranger who was wearing a mask a while ago shrugged off his black cloak to reveal a white buttoned shirt. Seongwu allowed his eyes to rake in the amazing figure of the one standing a stone hop away. He had long legs clad in gray trousers not long enough to show off his pale ankles. He was wearing a Japanese slipper, those wooden ones, and his feet were absolutely pretty, unlike Seongwu's blistered ones. 

Seongwu looked up when former No Face thrusted his cloak to Seongwu. Without thinking, Seongwu took the black fabric with both hands and in the process, let go of the twig he was holding as the unsuspecting branch clattered down the stone steps and into the water. Seongwu gasped and looked back at the face of the stranger to see if he was angry.

But the handsome face was still smiling at Seongwu fondly, head tilted to one side as he surveyed Seongwu who was now clad in black. The cloak was very soft and it smelled refreshing and floral, like citrus and flowers, Seongwu wasn't sure which but it was flowery, and ultimately, he decided, it was the smell of summer.

"You hit your face again. Why do you like to feel the pain?" The handsome No Face asked.

Seongwu cracked up. That sounded so wrong! 

"I-I did it to make sure I wasn't dreaming." Seongwu answered quietly. He doesn't know if No Face was aware but his focused gaze on Seongwu was really not helping.

"Pain tells you that?" He asked as he took a step towards Seongwu. 

Seongwu froze.

They were now standing on the same stone. Their faces were level, a few inches apart.

The scent the cloak held was nothing compared to the concentrated form exuded by the one before him. It intoxicated Seongwu.

A cool hand came up to touch Seongwu's burning face, the side he just hit. 

"Pain isn't a very good feeling is it not?" No Face asked with a very gentle voice. Seongwu took a deep breath and decided it was a wrong move, because, in this proximity, with a hand on his cheek, Seongwu was overcome with desire to feel the warmth of the other's lips. 

"No, it isn't." Seongwu whispered.

"Then don't hit yourself anymore. Oh. Are these... stars?" The beautiful voice all but sang into Seongwu.

Seongwu shivered not because of the cold. The stranger was now examining Seongwu's cheek closely that he's basically breathing against Seongwu. With his head tilted like that, all Seongwu needed to do was lean a bit and they would be kissing.

"No, not stars." Seongwu said and shook his head. He needed to clear his mind of these embarrassing fantasies. 

"They are, to me." The stranger smiled and locked eyes with Seongwu. Then he pulled back. He took a step back without turning away and once he's back in the slab where he was earlier, he offered a hand.

"Come with me?" He asked.

And how could Seongwu say no?

Seongwu took the offered hand and he felt the tickling sensation around his chest simmer when their fingers interlocked. They hopped into another stone together, again and again, until they reached soil.

Seongwu was beyond fascinated. There were lanterns overhead and stalls and booths littered the area. There were a lot of masked figures and strange people enjoying the festival but Seongwu doesn't care as he basked in the spirited atmosphere with a steady warmth anchored on his grasp. Seongwu stole a glance at the one beside him only to find the stranger already focused on him -- as if he was observing Seongwu's reaction. Seongwu flashed him a grin. Which easily dissolved into a surprised gasp when his vision was suddenly limited into holes. He realized a mask was thrusted over his face. 

Seongwu preened at No Face through the mask. The stranger was looking away so Seongwu could see his ears burning red. Seongwu stifled a giggle. He tried but he couldn't completely hide his amusement. He wasn't the only one feeling the butterflies then.

Seongwu tugged on No Face's hand and pulled him towards one of the stalls. When they reached the booth that sells glittery stones, No Face reached to adjust the mask so it was resting on the side of Seongwu's head. Seongwu looked on in wonder at one of the blue gems that glittered. It was as if the milky way was inside. 

He looked at the other gems but nothing caught his eyes like the starry one.

He wondered how much it costed. He was about to ask the vendor when he realized the one manning the store wasn't human. The head was shaped like a cat, it even had whiskers, but there was a horn in lieu of a nose and the eyes zeroed back at Seongwu like that of a fish.

He swallowed his inquiry. He pulled on the hand that held his and walked back the way they came. Only then did he notice that the festival-goers that surround them, none of them looked human. One had a rainbow tail, while the other had webbed hands. A little girl had moth's wings chasing another girl with a bushy tail. None of them looked normal, except the one holding his hand. He sneaked a glance at the one beside him only to once again find him already staring with an unfathomable expression on his face.

Seongwu wasn't scared. If anything, he was disappointed in himself. He somehow had that feeling that this festival wasn't normal from the start. Who even holds a party in the middle of the forest, right? But yeah, this handsome, fascinating stranger asked him to come and he did. Brilliant. 

He pulled the stranger into the side of the tree that was deserted.

Seongwu tried to remove his hand but the other was shaking his head, holding onto Seongwu's hand tighter.

"Okay. Who are you? No. What are you?" Seongwu asked, steeling himself to give a not-so-surprised reaction after whatever comes out of the stranger's mouth.

"I have a name. My name is Minhyun, but I don't really know what I am." The stranger, Minhyun, answered, his eyes trained into Seongwu's, gauging the latter's reaction.

"Okay, Minhyun. Hmm. Minhyun. Do you, do you perhaps know how old you are?" Seongwu asked.

"The guardians told me it's been 16 festivals since they found me floating in woven reeds along the river." Minhyun spoke as his thumb rub circles against Seongwu's hand. Seongwu suddenly felt sad knowing Minhyun was sort of abandoned, and he wondered why he was the one receiving the consoling gesture in the back of his palm.

"Guardians?" Seongwu whispered, sinking to the ground, pulling Minhyun along, as they sat crossed legged in front of each other.

"The spirits of the forest. They provided me with clothes, and taught me which fruits are good, and which berries are sure to cause pain." Minhyun spoke and leaned back on the tree, the fireflies dancing around him. Seongwu took off the cloak he was wearing and draped it over the two of them like a blanket. He reached for Minhyun's other hand. He felt his heart skip when Minhyun smiled and held both of his.

"Did they give you this No Face mask too?" Seongwu presented the side of his head where the mask was perched. Minhyun reached to trace the moles on his cheek instead.

"I was the one who found it lying in the ground earlier, before I found you." Minhyun spoke as his thumb connected the dots on Seongwu's face. Seongwu was thinking that maybe the costume belonged to one of his classmates who were playing the test of courage and he was grateful none of them met Minhyun. 

"Do you have a name?" Minhyun asked. 

"Seongwu. Ong Seongwu." 

"You are very beautiful, Seongwu, Ong Seongwu." Minhyun suddenly said.

Seongwu spluttered. "Wha-what are-" but he was interrupted by the sudden blaze in the night sky from somewhere behind him, it bathed Minhyun's face in an explosion of colours. He turned without letting go of Minhyun's hands. The kids have probably found the fireworks he left. Seongwu smiled as he looked at the ephemeral hues painted in the dark sky.

"So beautiful." He heard Minhyun murmur.

"It's amazing isn't it?" Seongwu replied, eyes still glued in the dancing lights. 

"Indeed. Why haven't I seen you before?" Seongwu whipped his head to see Minhyun already staring at him.

"Uhm." Seongwu realized Minhyun wasn't talking about the fireworks at all. The thought made him flustered. "I'm from Seoul. I've never been to this part of the country before. My class is having a summer trip and tonight, I just kind of wandered on my own." Seongwu hastily explained, the weight of Minhyun's stare was doing funny things to his stomach.

"Are you leaving soon?" Minhyun asked, his hands gripping Seongwu's tighter.

"Yeah, tomorrow afternoon, to be exact." Seongwu suddenly felt bad, leaving Minhyun, it's like abandoning him. He dropped his gaze and focused on their hands instead.

"How long will it be until I see you again?" Minhyun asked, his face suddenly really close, his eyes begging Seongwu to look back at him.

So Seongwu did. Realizing they're on borrowed time, he committed to memorize Minhyun's face as much as he can.

"I'm not sure. But I want to see you again too." Seongwu whispered. 

He doesn't know who leaned in first but suddenly, his lips were pressed against soft lips, his head filled with the intoxicating scent of summer, and he was kissing Minhyun, his own fingers lost in the soft dark locks of Minhyun's hair as he felt Minhyun's thumb dancing on his cheek again. 

They pulled apart to catch their breaths and Seongwu could see firelights dancing in Minhyun's widened eyes. He looked like he couldn't believe he just shared a kiss with Seongwu. 

And Seongwu knew exactly how it felt because he was the same.

He kept his hands on Minhyun's hair and pulled him in again.

They kissed again. Seongwu wanted Minhyun closer. He wanted to envelope the other in the warmth he was in. He felt Minhyun's arms wind around his waist and allowed him to pull Seongwu closer until every line of their bodies meet. 

The kiss lasted for as long as Seongwu could remember but it didn't last long enough.

Minhyun kept Seongwu close through the night. Seongwu told Minhyun about his high school life, how it was monotonous and lonely because he never liked what his friends liked and nobody really tried to understand him. Minhyun kissed his cheek a million times as he recounted a few funny episodes with some of his peers. When it was Seongwu's turn to listen, he would brush Minhyun's hair away from his eyes and press soft kisses against his shoulder as Minhyun introduced his guardians and Seongwu was very grateful he was able to find a family in the forest. Seongwu learned that Minhyun was very different, that he was never exposed to modernization and spent the rest of their conversations teaching Minhyun about technology and schools and school trips and eveything that Minhyun might've missed growing up away from society. Seongwu snapped a few photos of them together and explained to Minhyun what they were. Seongwu chuckled at Minhyun's childlike fascination while he peppered kisses all over Minhyun's face.

Seongwu wanted to stay inside Minhyun's arms forever. He wanted to continue inhaling the scent of summer and bask in the other's attention for as long as he liked. He could no longer imagine being away. He missed Minhyun terribly although the other was right beside him. 

A tear rolled down his cheek when the fireflies began losing their light as the dawn breaks.

Minhyun was shocked to see Seongwu crying. He pulled the latter onto his lap and rocked him sideways. When Seongwu asked what he was doing, he answered seriously with all the innocence in the world, that it was the only way he knew how to make someone stop crying. Seongwu then attacked his lips, not caring if his face was full of snot because Minhyun was definitely kissing him back. 

They kissed and kissed until Seongwu felt his phone buzz. 

Alarm: 30 minutes to breakfast.

Seongwu doesn't want to go. He held on to Minhyun like his life depended on it. Because it probably did.

 

Minhyun walked him back to where he left the boxes the night before. Seongwu picked up the boxes and realized he still have one more rocket fountain with him. He took it from his back pocket, realizing it got wet when he fell in the water. But it was the only thing he could give Minhyun, aside from his heart.

"Keep this for me? I'll be back next festival to take it alright?" Seongwu handed the tube to Minhyun and pulled him in for a hug. Seongwu fought back the tears that threatened to spill. He buried his nose in Minhyun's neck and inhaled, committing the scent of summer to his memory. 

"I have something to give to you as well." Minhyun said as he pulled back. 

"You are the most beautiful I've ever seen." Minhyun said and kissed Seongwu's cheek. He took Seongwu's hand and placed a blue stone in his palm. Seongwu held the milky way in his hand. He looked up to see Minhyun smiling and with the sun providing proper lighting, Seongwu could see how perfect Minhyun really was. His handsome face was only inches away and Seongwu couldn't help himself. 

 

Clutching the galaxy in one hand, he reached around Minhyun's neck and wrapped his arms around the most lovable being he's ever met.

"I'll be back." Seongwu whispered against Minhyun's lips.

**Author's Note:**

> For the cult!
> 
> Happy onghwangweek!
> 
> Say hi to me @wannabeyourbab4


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